MANILA (September 29, 2025) — Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Sunday revealed that senators inserted at least P100 billion in individual allocations into the 2025 national budget — funds now classified as “for later release” (FLR).
In a radio interview over DZMM, Lacson said “almost all” senators in the 19th Congress had insertions in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA), based on official documents he obtained.
“Sa Senate pa lang, at least P100 bilyon. Nagulat nga ako — sa individual insertions ito, naka-FLR ngayon,” Lacson said. (“From the Senate alone, the insertions amount to at least P100 billion. I was surprised — these are individual insertions now classified as FLR.”)
Lacson, known for his scrutiny of the national budget, expressed alarm over the size of the insertions.
“Pagkalalaki. Never pa ako nakakita kasi noong araw, di pa declared unconstitutional ang PDAF, nandoon lang sa hundreds of millions. E ngayon nakita ko, total at least P100 billion — for 24 senators alone.” (“The amount is massive. I’ve never seen anything like this. Before the PDAF was declared unconstitutional, the pork barrel only reached hundreds of millions. Now it totals at least P100 billion for senators alone.”)
He has yet to review the records of House members but said the list of similar insertions in the lower chamber is also extensive.
“Ang haba ng listahan din,” he added. (“The list is long.”)
Insertions Could Undermine Infrastructure
Lacson said that while budget amendments or insertions are not inherently illegal, allocations amounting to P5 billion to P9 billion per senator raise serious concerns, especially if the projects were not part of the original budget planning process.
He warned that such practices divert funds from vetted infrastructure programs that were coordinated at the barangay, city, or regional levels.
“These insertions could undermine national development priorities,” he said.
During upcoming budget deliberations, Lacson said he intends to question the implementing agencies on how these insertions were allowed and whether they have been implemented or released.
“Sa budget deliberation, pwede ko tanungin ito. Gusto kong malaman ilan sa siningit na insertion ang na-release at papaano na-implement,” he said. (“During budget deliberations, I can ask about this. I want to know how many of these insertions were released and how they were implemented.”)
He also raised concerns about the release of unprogrammed appropriations, which are not supported by actual revenue.
Call for Budget Reform and Transparency
Lacson urged fellow lawmakers to practice self-restraint, especially in inserting infrastructure projects into the budgets of agencies such as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Department of Education (DepEd), and the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
He also appealed to Congress members to refrain from using the so-called “leadership fund” in the DPWH — a mechanism allowing projects to be inserted as early as the National Expenditure Program (NEP) stage.
Path to Redemption After Flood Control Scandal
Referring to recent corruption allegations involving kickbacks from flood control projects, Lacson said the Senate is now facing a credibility crisis and must begin rebuilding public trust.
“We must start the process of reform with the preparations for the 2026 budget. The timing is right because the budget bill is now under deliberation,” he said in a separate interview on DWIZ on Saturday.
A scheduled meeting last Friday between Senate and House leaders to discuss the budget was postponed due to inclement weather. The Senate panel would have included Lacson, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, and Finance Committee Chair Sherwin Gatchalian. House Speaker Faustino Dy III was expected to lead the House contingent.
“Had the meeting pushed through, I would have made a call for self-restraint — especially on funding for local infrastructure projects under District Engineering Offices,” Lacson said.
“It would have been a corrective measure.”
